Thermostatic water mixing valves are well-known, and can be found in both residential and commercial settings. In either setting, the mixing valve combines two water flows, primarily hot and cold water flows, into a stream of mixed temperature water for discharge from the mixing valve and through a fixture, such as a showerhead or faucet. While such conventional mixing valves provide some benefits, including regulated water outlet flow, they nevertheless have certain limitations. For example, the internal components of conventional mixing valves are susceptible to high levels of friction and premature wear, which reduces ease of operation and the life of the valve. Also, conventional mixing valves are susceptible to imprecise temperature control of the mixed water which is discharged from the fixture to which the mixing valve is operably connected. Examples of conventional mixing valve having these limitations are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,315,210 to Kline; U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,462 to Osvaldo; No. 6,364,210 to Lorch; U.S. Pat. No. 6,220,294 to Ko; and, U.S. Pta. No. 5,107,884 to Orlandi.
The present invention is provided to solve the limitations of conventional mixing valves discussed above and other problems, and to provide advantages and aspects not provided by prior mixing valves. A full discussion of the features and advantages of the present invention is deferred to the following detailed description, which precedes with reference to the accompanying drawings.